A letter sent to the NFF by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has stated that unless a court case seeking to annul the disputed September 30 NFF elections is withdrawn, Nigeria will be suspended until the next FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 28 and 29, 2015.

The letter was sent to newly-elected President Amaju Pinnick, one of two men claiming to head Nigeria's governing body.

"As stated in our previous letters dated September 9, 2014 and October 2, 2014, FIFA stressed that should the electoral process and the instalment of the newly elected NFF board be affected by any interference, the case would be brought to the attention of the appropriate FIFA bodies for a suspension of the NFF until the next FIFA Congress due to take place on May 28 and 29, 2015," the letter read.

"The course of events as described in your correspondence clearly shows that interference has not ceased.

"Under these circumstances and in order to give Nigeria football a last opportunity to avoid a lengthy suspension, we inform you that if by midday October 31 Nigerian time we have not received proof that the case has definitively been withdrawn from court and that the board elected on September 30, 2014 is able to carry out its activities without any hindrance, we will refer the case to the FIFA Emergency Committee for the implementation of suspension.

"We would like to underline the dire effects that a suspension will have on Nigeria football.

"It will for instance mean that no team from Nigeria of any sort (including club teams) can have any international sporting contact."

Should the dispute not be resolved Nigeria will be unable to defend their Africa Cup of Nations trophy, won last year in South Africa ©Getty Images



Pinnick was voted into power during last month elections, however, these elections have been ruled invalid by the Federal High Court sitting in Jos.

The ruling came after Chris Giwa, who also claims to head the NFF, initiated a petition challenging the validity of the election.

Giwa was initially elected President on August 26 following the resignation of Aminu Maigari, however, this was disputed by Maigari, who organised an elective congress for September 30, which Pinnick won.

Despite being turned away twice by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Giwa's petition was eventually upheld by a Jos High Court which issued an injunction against the elections on September 19.

The elections went ahead in any case, with Pinnick elected to the helm of the NFF.

The results of these elections have since been ruled invalid by the Federal High Court, due to the injunction in place at the time.

The NFF immediately appealed the decision.

Giwa has called for fresh elections to take place in a neutral venue - not in Warri where Pinnick was elected, allegedly with the support of bribes from a local political figure.

"We went to court to stop that election because we want reconciliation, we want peace," Giwa said.

"When we discovered that they wanted to hold the congress on the 20th, we approached the court with an ex parte motion and to God be the glory the court granted that plea but they disobeyed the order and still went ahead with the election on the 30th."

Should a comprise fail to be made, Nigeria will be unable to defend their Africa Cup of Nations trophy won in South Africa last year.

The turmoil within Nigerian football has been affecting matches played as recently as last weekend, when Nigeria won the African Women's Championship in Namibia - the team was nearly banned from participating in the game, due to the ongoing problems.

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